


Truth Be Told

by Smapdi



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M, Remixed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-04-06 05:42:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4210098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smapdi/pseuds/Smapdi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A remix for Shake it off: The Mindy Project Remixed.</p><p>In which Mindy cannot lie to her soulmate and guess who that happens to be?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth Be Told

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alittlenutjob](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlenutjob/gifts), [PhunkyBrewster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhunkyBrewster/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Solo Cups and Eternity](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3277421) by [PhunkyBrewster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhunkyBrewster/pseuds/PhunkyBrewster). 



> Many thanks to the gracious and talented Phunkybrewster for letting me write my very different take on the general concept, and to Alittlenutjob for setting up this challenge. I hope it's a fun read.

Monday mornings are rarely a time for Mindy Lahiri to shine; she's gotten in the habit of scheduling appointments late in the morning and procedures in the afternoon, so she can avoid having to be functional as long as possible. 

Today, though, is worse than most. She had taken up the role of being A Good Friend, to Peter of all people, hauling his melancholy ass to Atlantic City to drown his sorrows on the day of his ex-girlfriend's wedding. Mindy had a pretty good time, what little she could remember, but Pete, well, he was a bit of a sad sack, even when drinking the ridiculous concoctions Mindy ordered him. 

"A beverage of every color!" She shouted, though when he brought them up later, the bright green Midori and shimmering blue curaçao were muddied with hot wings and saltwater taffy. Mindy clucked her tongue and ordered something purple. 

And now it's Monday, and the lights are too bright and the sounds are too loud and Danny Castellano is just too...Danny. He's already finished with his first appointment as Mindy shuffles in, Jackie O sunglasses hiding the dark circles that not even overpriced concealer, the one she felt required to buy after getting a free makeover, could cover. 

"Good morning, Mindy," Danny says in a disgustingly cheery tone, and she just shudders. Of course Danny is the kind of person that gets excited over Mondays, finding the beginning of a new week an exhilarating fresh start, and not the dismal end to a weekend of, say, boozing and gambling. 

"Hey, Danny," Mindy croaks, her voice still raw. There had been shouting, much shouting, and while she can't exactly pinpoint when or why, she recalls snippets - a jackpot on the nickel slots, someone buying a round to celebrate a divorce, and she has a vague memory of an argument - but it's nothing worth taxing herself over. "How was your weekend?"

She asks him out of politeness and regrets it within a millisecond. As Danny begins to regale her with a scintillating tale involving paint chips and some sort of color mixup, which was literally duller than watching said paint dry, Mindy feels herself unable to control her response. 

"I don't care."

Danny stops cold, freezing mid-hand-gesture so he looks like a paralyzed orchestra conductor, then drops them to the countertop, deflated. "Well, that's rude."

"I'm not sorry," she blurts, slapping one hand over her mouth in shock. It's true, but she hadn't actually intended to say it. 

"Are you high?" Danny leans closer and raises her sunglasses off her face. "Did you hit your head?"

"No, and no." That came out quite easily, but she found herself struggling to phrase the next sentence. "I mean, I did not intend to say something that would be offensive or hurtful." She says it with the cadence and sincerity of an android, but inside, Mindy is panicking. 

He's peering into her eyes and trying to determine if she's concussed, but all she can think is how deep and brown and soulful his eyes are, and then her gaze drifts. She feels warm and kind of dreamy all of a sudden, as she looks at his mouth. His lips are parted, just slightly, so she can see the softer pink of the inside, and they're so full and soft and scrumptious...

"Damn, you have some kissable lips."

Danny recoils like he just stumbled across a rattlesnake and puts both hands up defensively. "Okay, whoa," he sputters as his ears turn bright red. "What the...why..."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Mindy hisses and whirls away, fleeing to her office. She really is sorry, but only to the extent that she feels humiliated and confused and, weirdest of all, a little turned on. Sitting behind her desk, she feels the burn of embarrassment in her face and yet she can't stop thinking about those lips. 

She's got loads of paperwork to catch up on, so she pulls up a patient file and stares at it while visions of Danny do loops in her head. It makes no sense. So what if he's got the most fantastic set of smackers known to man? And why did she say it out loud? They're the same lips he's always had, that's not new, and it's not like he's going to kiss her. Kiss her. Press his mouth to hers, and let her run her tongue along that fat bottom lip, and bite it, just enough to sting, so she can soothe it. 

Oh god. She has to stop. Mindy flips through the pages of the file, trying to distract herself, but in her mind, his mouth is moving down down her body, and she has to pinch herself hard before she starts to imagine what talents he possesses south of the border. 

At last her appointments start to arrive, and Mindy is free of this weird obsession as she chats with happy expectant mothers at well check ups. By the afternoon, she's feeling like herself again.

"Beverly, can you see about rescheduling my 3:00 amnio? I'm think I'm coming down with a bug and I don't want to expose any patients." She lies freely with the appropriate pathos, one hand on her head. 

"Yeah, I knew it. You're probably feverish." Danny's voice makes her jump, and she bangs right into him as he comes up on her left. He reaches one enormous hand out to feel her forehead and Mindy's heart goes into palpitations. "No, you feel strangely cool. Are you going to urgent care, or home to rest?"

"I'm getting my eyebrows threaded." It's like she's a guileless newborn, the way she just blurts it out. 

Danny makes a disgusted face. "I thought you said you were sick?" 

"Well, that seemed like a better excuse." 

Mindy turns to Beverly in desperation, willing her to come up with something, but the older woman just cackles. "I can never keep my stories straight either, sis."

"I am young enough to be your granddaughter!" Mindy wants to shout, but as she glances at Danny, it's like the last word is caught in her throat. Instead she moans "daughter" and bangs on the counter. "Damn it! I've had a stressful day!"

"What, three patients? Four? Come on, Lahiri, even Peter has you beat, and he didn't come in until noon." Danny grimaces and walks away, muttering about work ethics, and Mindy realizes she's very obviously staring at his ass and claps a hand over her eyes. 

"What the hell is going on with me?" She questions out loud. 

"Looks like you got a case of the hornies."

"Beverly, you are no help."

Neither is the brow threading, nor the bottle of Chardonnay, nor the hours of fitful sleep interrupted by strange dreams that she can't remember clearly. She just knows they all involve Danny and various body parts and she's really sweaty when she wakes up. 

Sweaty and smiling. 

\---

It's a chilly, stormy Tuesday and Mindy doesn't have time to dwell on the weirdness when she's paged for an emergency c-section at the exact moment her train lets her out at her stop. She doesn't make her first few appointments at the office as a result, and it's lunchtime when she gets in, with only Beverly at reception. She's checking her messages when Danny strolls out of his office, a cup of yogurt in his hand. 

"Morning, Mindy... um, afternoon, I guess..." He pulls a random file from a stack and attempts to look like that's what he came out to do. 

Mindy pastes a bright smile on her face, feeling like whatever was going on before must have worked its way through her system. 

"Good afternoon Danny. I thought about you all night."

It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and Mindy's smile falters. Those were not the words she intended to say, not at all - they just slipped out when all she planned was a breezy, casual 'how has your day been?' 

Danny's hand clenches around the yogurt cup and the spoon flies free, splattering the desk. He looks up at her, staring in shock, and she's frozen in horror and can't look away. His mouth starts to open, then slams shut, and he spins on his heel and walks back into his office without a word. His ears are crimson. 

Beverly breaks the silence. "Dr. L, I know a guy who knows a guy, we can get that little problem with your rusty undercarriage all cleared up." She winks lasciviously. 

"Beverly! I did not mean it like that," Mindy lies effortlessly. "I meant I was thinking about what he said yesterday, about my patient load!" Beverly rolls her eyes and shrugs. 

"Sure, that's believable." 

Walking back into her office, a safe space, Mindy has to accept the reality - something is wrong with her. She retraces her steps - she had a breakfast burrito Monday, but not today...still, it could have been rotten, or spiked, and she's still suffering the after effects. Or, or, maybe she DID hit her head! Suddenly it all makes sense - she had been partying it up with Peter, and lord knows that's a risky situation. She texts him 911 and he's bursting into her office in less than a minute. Also, his fly is down, and she really doesn't want to know why he's so breathless. 

"Pete, dress yourself, and tell me what the hell happened in Atlantic City! Did I fall, or have something fall on me?" 

"What didn't happen in the AC, that's a better question!" Peter zips up and flops down in a chair across from her, flinging his legs up over the neighboring seat. "Well, I didn't get laid, but other than that... No, you didn't fall that I saw. Why, you got mysterious rug burns you can't account for?"

Mindy sighs and crumples over her desk. "I've just been feeling really weird these last few days. Like, out of control?"

"Awww yiss. What did you, or should I say WHO did you do?" He rubs his hands together with glee. 

"Don't be gross. I need to know what's going on, and I was way too sloshed to remember. Did anyone give me a drink? Maybe I was roofied."

Peter frowns, shaking his head. "Nah, you were never totally out of it, just really feisty. I don't think roofies do that. I have no personal experience, although I did wonder about Pube that time."

"Feisty? Like, more than usual?" 

"Yeah, you were en fuego after mixing all that booze. I had to pull you off that one chick, remember? You were gonna pound her."

Mindy sits up straight. "What? I don't remember fighting with anyone! What the hell?"

"Oh yeah, it was great," Peter laughs. "On the boardwalk, you don't remember? The fortune teller? You tried to grab her crystal ball."

"Tell me everything, you idiot." The idea of a neglected head injury is back as an option, and Mindy has to know for sure. 

"Wow, calm down, geez. It wasn't that big of a deal. You asked her something and got pissed at her answer and threatened to snatch her bald headed. Then she cursed you and I dragged you outta there. I didn't even get to see a girl fight, thank you very much."

"She didn't hit me, just cursed at me? Peter, I get cursed at all day every day. That can't be it."

Peter clucked his tongue. "Not cursed at you, dillhole. She cursed you. It was great."

"How the fuck is that great?!" Mindy leaps up and comes around the desk swinging. "What did she say? What did she do to me?"

He fends off her blows and stands up. "Hey, knock it off, Mindy. This out of control thing isn't as hot as I expected."

"This. Isn't. It!" She slumps against the desk. "Please, tell me everything you remember."

"Okay. You wanted your fortune told, I said it was a scam, you told me to choke on a dick. Like I said, feisty. So we went in and you asked her a couple of dumb questions about sales at Macy's and then wanted to know when you were going to meet your soulmate."

As Peter tells her the tale, Mindy has vague memories of a woman with exaggerated long nails and a thick accent. 

"She got all fancy with her tea leaves or whatever and said you'd already met your soulmate and that she saw the letter C. Then you wigged out, called her a liar and a fraud. I guess you thought she meant Casey. Anyway, it was pretty hilarious."

"This is not funny at all. Continue."

"Not much else to tell ya. She got mad and wanted her money and you wouldn't pay her. Then she cursed you." Peter shrugs, edging toward the door. 

"Oh, okay, thanks Peter. It's not like I need to know what exactly the curse was or anything!" She moves closer to him, glaring. 

"I don't know, you were both yelling pretty loud. I think she said something like you think I'm lying, you'll see what it's like when you can't lie to your soulmate, and then she spit in her hand and waved it in the air. It was all really theatrical. I mean, I'd be mad if I had done all that and didn't get paid, but I don't think she had to...Mindy? You okay?"

Mindy stares at him, her eyes glazing over, her mouth slack. Then she starts hitting him again. 

"You're full of shit, Peter! I don't know what you're doing or how, but this is crap and you better stop!"

He ducks most people of her blows and plasters himself against the wall. "Me stop? You stop! What is wrong with you, woman? Do you actually believe she cursed you? I told you, it's a scam."

She turns and collapses on the couch, head in hands. "No, no, no. It can't be a curse...and it can't be HIM. I just..."

"If I sit next to you, do you promise not to attack me again?" Peter moves closer, warily. She just nods. "Do you want to tell me why you're freaking out? Because you're kind of scaring me and I made it through almost all of Ghostbusters so I'm pretty hard to rattle."

"It's crazy, Peter, I've been thinking I was going crazy, and maybe I am, but now it makes sense. Like, I can't control things at I say. I mean to say one thing, and something else comes out, something...true, when I didn't plan to be truthful. The words I want to say are just replaced and it's horrible and I can't stop it."

"So, basically, you can't lie. Hmm."

"No, Peter, I can lie. I lied to Beverly a whole bunch. Just not...to him."

"Your soulmate." Peter is nodding, patting her shoulder, still full of trepidation. 

"It can't be, though!" Mindy looks at him, wild eyed. 

"Maybe you're just having a crisis of conscience? Maybe it really is that you can't lie to anyone. Or any man, at least."

"Oh, gosh, Peter, that's brilliant. You're a genius."

"Thank you...wait..."

Mindy stands up and paces. "Yeah, Peter, I can lie to you. I'm just going to go jump off a bridge right now. Water my plants for me."

"Wait, so who is your soulmate? Is it Casey?"

She stops pacing and buries her face in her hands. "Drmmmffy."

"Sorry, want to repeat that in English?"

"Danny," she whispers. 

"DANNY!?" Peter yells, repeatedly and with glee. It takes less than a minute of Mindy hushing him for Danny to appear, opening the door a crack and peeking in. 

"Hey look Mindy, it's Danny!"

"What's going on? Do you want me for something?" 

Peter laughs maniacally. "I sure don't, but Mindy? Do YOU want him for something?"

She's returned back to her desk, desperately trying to avoid responding. It's no use. "I want him to leave because I'm really embarrassed." It's definitely true, and definitely doesn't work. 

"Pete, she's been acting really weird the last couple of days. Do you know what the hell is going on?" Danny asks quietly. 

"I sure don't! We should ask Mindy if she knows what's going on. She's an open book - she shares everything, isn't that right?"

"Yes, I over share," she says dejectedly. "Please stop."

"Stop what? We're just a couple of pals, trying to figure out what's wrong with our mate, right, Danny?"

He shakes his head. "I don't know what the hell either of you are talking about. I'm gonna go."

"YES!" shouts Mindy at the same time Peter yells "NO!"

"Danny, Danny, just ask her what's wrong." The joy in Peter's voice is downright torture to the woman behind the desk. 

"Fine," Danny signs. "Mindy, what is wrong with you?"

She digs her nails into the arms of her chair and stares down at the blotter on her desk. 

"I can't lie to you."

"Okay, that's a good thing, just tell me what's wrong." 

"I just told you." Mindy's whine is legendary and high pitched. 

"No, you just said you wouldn't lie to me. So don't."

"I can't!" she wails. 

"Good!" 

"This is the best thing I've ever seen!" shrieks Peter. "Let's speed it up. Danny, she's saying she is physically unable to lie to you. Ask her why."

"Peter, stop!" Mindy jumps up and pushes past him, running into Danny in the doorway. "Let me by, please, please. I'm going to be sick."

He steps aside and she races to the ladies room. 

"What the hell is going on, Pete?"

"Ah, NBD. It's the curse."

"Jesus, you're an ob/gyn, why use cutesy nicknames?" Danny shakes his head and heads back to his office. 

\---

Mindy thinks she's managed to luck out, for a moment. Once she sneaks back to her office, she texts Peter various threats to life and limb and avoids Danny for the rest of the day. Granted, that does nothing to quell the combination of horror and intrigue she's been juggling since Peter's revelation. Danny. Soulmate. Danny? SOULMATE? How is it even possible? They are barely friends. Okay, so she can still lie to herself. 

They've been friends, good friends, she thinks, since before she broke up with Casey. Before Haiti. She can't pinpoint exactly when it happened, but he became Important To Her and, well, she thinks maybe she's the same to him. Friends, that is, and important. And yes, of course, she finds him attractive, and she's caught him checking her out often enough to think that's reciprocated. But soulmates? What if he's her soulmate, but she's not his, is that a thing? Seems awfully cruel, if it is. 

It's this running train of thought that occupies her all afternoon and keeps her off guard, so when Danny walks in, she's completely unprepared. 

"So, you ready to tell me what's going on?" He rests his rump against the desk, arms folded, gazing at her. 

The truth is simple. "No." She stares at him, and somehow, even though he looks the same - maybe a bit tired, a little stubble on his cheeks - she's seeing him in a completely different way. 

Soulmate. 

Holy fuck. 

He's smiling at her, and it's not smug or condescending, and his eyes are confused and, yes, worried. She's acting just bizarrely enough that he's actually unable to conceal his concern and for that, she thinks she could kiss him. That, and the soulmate thing, and those goddamnned lips. 

She silently begs him to accept this and leave, leave her alone till she can get this thing figured out and under control. 

"Why don't you tell me anyway?"

It's exactly what Mindy did not want to hear. She's not quite sure the logistics of this curse thing, because she's not just jabbering on about every thought in her head, but sometimes the words just spill out anyway. Questions, though, it seems are the thing she can't avoid. She can't just not respond. So she hears herself answering, against her will, and watches Danny's face as she irrevocably changes their comfortable little dynamic. 

"When Peter and I were in Atlantic City, I sort of pissed off a witch or something and she cursed me. I can't lie to my soulmate." She swallows hard, and the grip of the words releases her. "Make of that what you will. I have to go."

Mindy flees, blinking away the tears that sting at her lids, grabbing her purse and coat and rushing past him. He doesn't even shout for her to stop. 

Well, hell, she thinks, sitting in the subway morosely. She wouldn't have called after him either, if he was the one talking crazy talk. It's not unreasonable at all, but she keeps swiping at the tears that leak from her eyes and course down her cheeks at random intervals. It's not like she could sit there and wait for him to respond, and what did she expect if he had? Oh hurray, crazy woman who talks too loud and dresses too bright, I was hoping that's what you would say. Sure. Sounds like Danny, alright. 

She snorts and sniffles, and an elderly woman on her right murmurs something in another language and hands Mindy a Kleenex. 

Once home, she continues to let herself dissolve into self pity. She finds the Columbia sweatshirt that Danny lent her when she had to stay at his place and puts it on over a ratty pair of shorts. She's debating the merits of very stale cornflakes over slightly moldy bagels when the doorbell rings. 

Of course it's him. Mindy closes her eyes and takes a deep breath and opens the door. 

Danny looks up from his feet and pushes past her, taking off his jacket as he heads to the kitchen. 

"Hello?" She crosses her arms over her chest. Maybe he won't notice. 

"Hey. Did you eat?" His eyes flicker down from her face and she knows he instantly recognizes what she's wearing. The corner of his mouth crooks up as he finishes sweeping down her body and back up again. "Nice socks."

"What are you doing here?" 

He's already in her kitchen, opening the fridge, then the freezer, making grunting noises as he goes. "Do you have any food that's edible?" 

"Doubtful. Danny..."

"Hold that thought." He pulls a take out menu out from the brightly colored magnet holding it to her refrigerator door and makes a call, raising an eyebrow at Mindy to confirm his selections. She nods mutely, her heart thumping in her throat. When he's done, he returns the menu and grabs a beer, offering her one as well. She moves closer and reaches for it from the other side of the counter, but he gestures to wait and opens it before handing it to her. That makes her smile. 

"So, I hear I'm your soulmate," he says with a wry grin. 

"That's what they tell me." She avoids his eyes. "Look, if you came here to make fun of me..."

"I did not." His voice is serious. "I thought we should talk."

"I'm going to go change," Mindy mutters, backing away. 

"Don't. I like that sweatshirt. It's one of my favorites."

"Yeah, okay, I should have returned it, but I wanted to wash it first." She hasn't washed it. It's been what, six weeks? And it still faintly smells of him. 

"Keep it. Looks better on you than it does on me." 

They each sip their respective beers and Mindy wants to run, hide in her closet, anything to escape this awkwardness. She's never felt this awkward around Danny - she's always kind of had the upper hand in their relationship, with her supreme confidence, but this has her rattled. It's just a relief that whatever it is that makes her blurt things out is in reserve right now, or who knows what she might say. 

"So..." He starts. 

"Can we just not?" The panic is rising. "I'm just gonna... I'll be back in a minute." 

Closing the bathroom door behind her, Mindy finds she's no less anxious just by nature of their separation. She knows he won't leave until they've hashed this out, and she's never wanted to do anything less. Even if he's nice about it, and she finds that possibility pretty slim, it's still going to be painful and awkward and they probably won't even be able to be friends. That thought hurts as much as any romantic rejection, because Danny is still Very Important. 

She stays in there until she hears the doorbell ring. No amount of Kung Pao and sticky rice will fix this mess, but maybe a full belly will cushion the blow. 

Danny is already setting out plates when Mindy joins him in the kitchen. She slumps in a chair and watches him dole out piles of what is normally her favorite thing ever, but right now, she doesn't even have the stomach for it. Danny eats with gusto while she picks at her plate. 

"Looks like you'll have plenty of leftovers," he says with a smile. She's not used to this many smiles from him and can't help but feel like he's patronizing her. 

"As soon as you're gone, I'll just eat it all." 

He puts down his fork. "Mindy, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk!" The words burst out of her and Danny raises his eyebrows. He reaches for his beer. 

"Then what do you want to do?" He's smirking around the mouth of the bottle as he sips, and his eyes are warm, dancing with laughter. Mindy feels a hot rush of desire coiling in her belly and her pulse quickens. 

She steels herself as the words force themselves out, and she's a little surprised that what she says shocks him. What did he expect?

"I want to ride you like a mechanical bull."

Danny sputters his beer out and starts coughing, his entire face turning beet red. 

"You asked, Danny." Mindy grabs the take out boxes and carries them into the kitchen, feeling the burn in her own face. Maybe she's made it uncomfortable enough for him that he'll just go, and she can begin researching her move to New Zealand or wherever is farthest away. 

She doesn't expect that when his coughing jag ends, he would follow her. 

"Okay, you caught me off guard, good job. But you can't keep avoiding this."

Mindy turns, ready to tell him to get out, and he's right there, so close, searching her face, and her mouth is dry. She can feel his body heat radiating in waves. 

"Danny," she chokes. "Please stop. I didn't think I could get any more embarrassed, but here we are."

His eyes are intense and focused on hers. "Don't be embarrassed," he says softly. 

"How can I not be embarrassed? I'm basically crazy, and I'm just saying all this stuff and I can't control it..." Her voice lowers to almost a whisper, and she drops her eyes to the floor. "And I know you don't feel the same way." 

She can't help it, though - she has to look back up and meet his eyes. 

"You don't know a damn thing about how I feel." 

Before any more unwanted words spring forth from her lips, Danny is kissing them. 

She gasps in surprise as he moves his mouth against hers, confident and sure, and his lips are just as soft as she expected, and his hands spanning her face are, too. He stops and pulls back, his eyes a little confused, and she realizes she didn't kiss him back, she didn't do anything, paralyzed by the shock. She looks down at his mouth, then back to his eyes before wrapping her arms around his neck and closing the distance again.

Danny doesn't question it this time. He moves his hands from Mindy's face to roam her body, smoothing them down her back, her hips, and finally gripping her ass and spinning her till she slams into the refrigerator so hard the magnets rattle and some fly off. 

It's a bit of a revelation that while her mouth is occupied, she can't say anything potentially devastating. This isn't on Danny's mind, however, as he abandons her lips to navigate the curve of her jaw, the shell of her ear, his mouth moving in a heated trail across her skin. 

His hands have slipped under Mindy's shirt, burning a trail across her torso. "Do you know how long I've thought about taking this off you?" he murmurs into the hollow of her throat. 

"Since...since you got here?" Maybe her horny brain is too hazy to say anything stupid, she thinks. 

Danny laughs against her skin and she can feel the goosebumps rising. "A lot longer than that, sweetheart."

Something about that endearment breathed into her flesh makes Mindy's stomach twist and she needs him, badly. She grabs his hair and pulls him back to her mouth. 

She has to come up for air, and that of course leaves her free to say terrible things. 

Danny's hands are on her ass, pressing her hips firmly against his as he runs his tongue down the column of her throat. 

"Oh god, Danny, your penis, I can feel it."

This is not the sexy talk she planned. 

"Mmmmhmmm..." Danny's voice is muffled in her neck. He lets go of her, running his hands up her back. "Are you okay?" 

She responds by sliding her hand down his torso and palming him through his pants. "Yes, it's just, wow."

He groans in response, licking a stripe back up her neck to the hollow behind her ear. 

"I can't believe I'm going to have sex with you and we haven't even gone on a date."

Danny grins, leaning back to look at her. "Yeah?" 

Mindy nods shyly. Of course now, no words come out. 

"Anyway, what do you think tonight was? Or any of the other hundreds of times. We've been on doctors lounge dates..." He punctuates this with a kiss on her jawline. "Conference dates...airplane dates..." Danny moves back to her mouth, kissing her deeply, his hands sliding along her back, up to her shoulder blades. "It was all just..."

"Foreplay," Mindy blurts, laughing. He joins her, pressing his forehead to hers. She takes his hand and leads him to the bedroom. 

They make it to the bed and Mindy stops.

"Okay, so this is where it gets all awkward..."

"No." Danny reaches for her. His kiss is aggressive and hungry, and she responds in kind. He's lifting her sweatshirt up when she pulls away to turn off the light. 

"Don't," he says, pushing her hand away and kissing her again. "I want to see you."

Mindy feels the words trying to break free, to tell him how she's shy about her naked body, but he's stopping her with his mouth. She reaches for his shirt, tugging at the buttons, yanking it open, and as he lets her go to free his arms, she takes a deep breath. "God, you're hot," she sighs, and he shakes his head, almost bashfully. It's endearing. 

And then she lets him take off her sweatshirt. His sweatshirt, but he won't get it back now. He kisses her again, and his chest hair scratches at her nipples and makes her laugh. "Sorry, sorry, I'm ticklish."

"Oh yeah?" He joins in the laughter. "I'll have to remember that."

Danny's big hands are on her back and Mindy feels weirdly warm and secure in his arms and, oh god, that soulmate thing. And then he's moving down her body, spanning her rib cage and kissing the channel between her breasts. It's doing wondrous things to her because she can't talk, she can't even think, it's just the sensation of his skin on her skin and his lips on her flesh and all she can make are moaning noises. 

Until his teeth close a little too hard on her nipple and she yelps. "Ow, fuck!" 

"I'm sorry, was that too hard?" He rubs it with his hand like one would a toddler who bumped their knee. "I got carried away."

"No, it's okay. I'm just super sensitive." 

"Again, I will keep that in mind." Danny slides his hands around her waist and nuzzles her neck as he dips them under the waistband of her shorts. His fingers are long and delicate and he plays her far better than he plays piano, till she's squirming against him breathlessly. 

Mindy fumbles at his belt. "Danny, take off your pants."

"Mmmkay. You first." Her shorts slide down as he moves his hands, and she shivers in anticipation. As they pool at her feet, she steps out of them, and Danny gently lowers her onto the bed. 

He kisses his way down her body and Mindy is only a little self conscious, or at least she's trying. 

"Stop sucking in your stomach," he tells her as he reaches her belly button. 

"I can't help it. It's poochy, and also there's kind of a jungle going on down there, because I haven't had time..."

"That's fine, I like it lush," he murmurs into her thigh. "Now stop talking."

He succeeds in shutting her up quite handily, or at least removes her ability to form sentences for a little while. 

"Do you always curse like a sailor, or is that just the, uh, curse?"

"That's...all...me," Mindy gasps, catching her breath. "That was amazing," Danny's already traveled back up north and he grins like the cat who's eaten the canary, though no doubt the canary didn't enjoy it as much. "You're really good with your mouth."

"Never had any complaints."

"Mmmmmm." She stretches languidly, her eyes half closed, curling on her side towards him. "I could totally just go to sleep right now,"

"That's fine." Danny rests his hand low on her back and pulls her closer, kissing her shoulder. 

Mindy pushes him away. "Shut up and take off your pants already!"

He rolls to a sitting position and shucks off the offending trousers. 

"Mmmm, Danny, condom. I'm not great with remembering my pill." She gestures to the nightstand.

He fumbles for a moment, then returns to her side and kisses her while they arrange their bodies suitably. Mindy bites Danny's lip and throws a leg around his waist, urging him on, and then he's pressing into her and it's his turn to make the delighted noises. 

She can tell he must be close - he's dropped his head to her neck and his movements are loose and quickening, so she squeezes him, feeling his hot breath against her skin. "Yes, finish, baby, so we can cuddle."

Danny falters. "Are you close?"

"No, but I'm good. I never come from this anyway." 

It's way too quiet, and Mindy grimaces at her unfortunate timing. If she could just have shut up for a few moments more, or if she'd been good about her pill so they wouldn't have needed the condom, he'd be done. 

He lifts his head to look at her. "Never say never," he growls as he leans down to catch her lips. Wrapping his arms around her hips, he shifts her slightly, slipping one hand between them. "I should have been paying closer attention."

"Danny, it's okayyyyy... aaauuughhhh! How are you doing that?" Mindy squeals as he moves in just the right way, sinking his teeth into her shoulder before lapping at the sweat on her throat. He sends her flying into bliss as he reaches his own. 

\---

Mindy wakes up way too early, with a hairy arm wrapped around her, and it takes a second to get her bearings. Danny's rattling breath is steady and she doesn't want to wake him; everything feels fresh and raw and she just wants to soak it in. There's so much promise in the new, if she can just keep from fucking it up... and it's suddenly kind of terrifying. When she feels him stir and he moves his arm, she rolls on to her back. 

"Good morning. I didn't scare you off?" She says it like she's joking, but of course, she isn't. 

He just kisses her in response, and for morning breath, it's not that bad. 

"What are you making me for breakfast?" he asks with a grin. 

"Leftover Chinese?" 

"Maybe we should go out."

"Our first date!" Mindy slips from his embrace and wraps herself in the sheet as she stands up. 

"What are you doing?" Danny reaches to tug it off her but she sidesteps him and heads to the bathroom. 

"No nudity before breakfast, that's my rule."

"Hey, I'm naked!"

"You look good naked."

"Mindy." 

She stops at the doorway and turns, unable to wipe the smile off her face. 

"You look great naked."

She flashes her ass at him as she turns back. 

When Mindy comes out in her robe, he's already dressed, and they pass each other as she goes to make coffee. She's sniffing the creamer to see if it's still good when he comes up behind her and lifts her hair off her neck so he can kiss it. She's really happy and really scared and blurts it out. 

"Scared of what?" he asks as she turns in his arms. "Scared of kissing me?"

"No, I want to do that always." Mindy bites her lip and flattens her palms against his chest. She looks up at him and he reaches a hand out to cup her cheek, tracing the divot above her chin, coaxing her lip out. "I'm scared I'll say something wrong, I'll mess this up."

"Mindy, you don't have to... You can let this curse thing go now."

She pulls away from him, throwing her hands up in the air. "It's not a 'thing' Danny! I didn't make it up just to seduce you with the alluring appeal of an idiot with no filter. Whatever is going on, I'm not in control of it, and it's freaking me out!" 

Danny follows, his voice low and soothing. "Okay, it's okay. We'll figure it out. Maybe you were, uh, hypnotized? I hear that happens."

Mindy sits up against the arm of her couch, laughing hollowly. "What's to figure out? This will never work. I've never managed to maintain a relationship without lying."

Danny stands before her, knitting his brows. "You haven't exactly managed that WITH lying, Min. Maybe that's the problem. People who care about each other shouldn't lie to each other." 

"You have to, sometimes, Danny. And it's not fair. It's unbalanced. You can lie to me and I can't lie to you."

He takes her hands and pulls her up. "Then it's simple. I won't lie to you. We'll just always agree to be honest with each other."

She shakes her head. "It's not simple at all. It's just not. I'm going to need you to lie to me sometimes, Danny. It's inevitable that I'll ask you a question that I don't want you to answer truthfully. In fact, I'll get mad at you if you do. That's just how it is. But that's not even what worries me. I'm going to say something will make you mad, or freak you out. I'll tell you I love you way too soon. I'll tell you I think we should get married or have kids or buy a house way before you're even ready to think about those things. I'm freaking you out right now just saying that, and I know it, and I can't stop!" She pulls her hands free and tries to pass him, but he grabs her around the waist and stops her. 

"Then what, Mindy? You want to just forget it, because you can't guarantee you won't fuck things up? Let me clue you in on a little secret, since the word of the day is truth - there's no guarantees about that, 'curse' or not. You think I planned to have a terrible, heartbreaking marriage? You don't think it scares me to think about fucking up another relationship? So what then, just never take the risk? You can't lose something if you never had it, so let's just end it before it begins. That's not you, Mindy. That's me. And here I am, willing to risk it for you." 

Mindy stares at him, dumbfounded. 

"You're right. It's not me. Screw this curse bullshit."

She reaches for his face and pulls him to her mouth. 

\---

"Peter, I need you." 

"Music to my ears, doll, but don't you have your hands full with Danny?" 

Mindy glares at the phone. "Not like that, you idiot. You've got to come with me to find that fortune teller witch lady." 

"Which lady?"

"The one that cursed me!" She huffs her breath out her nose in exasperation. "Look, I got us a flight to Atlantic City at 4:00. Danny's on call, so just see if Jeremy can handle any of your patients that you can't reschedule."

"Are you this demanding in bed? Cuz I think I dodged a bullet but poor Danny..."

"Um, don't you worry about him. He's very well taken care of, but it's not gonna last if I keep blurting out stupid shit... I need to be freed, Peter."

A sharp laugh comes from the speaker. "What, did you tell him he has a small pee pee?" 

"You know what, Pete? This curse doesn't apply to you so you'll just have to keep wondering about that."

They land in Atlantic City and Mindy manages to drag Peter back to the boardwalk with minimal distraction. The only issue is actually locating the mysterious woman, because things look vastly different sober, and there are a startling number of people offering palmistry sessions, tarot card readings, and other metaphysical dalliances. None of them resemble what Mindy recalls as a tall redhead with a lot of moles and what Peter remembers as okay face, slamming rack. 

She's almost given up when they find her, hanging a closed sign on a tiny, windowless building wedged between a tattoo parlor and some very stinky fried food place. 

"You! It's you! You can't be closed, you have to help me!"

The woman turns and gives the pair the once over. "I can tell you right now he's never gonna marry you."

"Ugh, thank god, but no, that's not why I'm here. Please let me come in. I have cash!"

This seemed to be the magic word and the woman, who was apparently Rita Von Vorahnung if the chipped paint on the door could be believed, unlocked it and led them into the small, dark room. 

She flipped the light switch, bathing them in a spooky glow, and then gestured to the table, which Mindy recognized from her previous visit, though she remembered the crystal ball didn't look so dingy before. 

"So, what brings you here?" Rita asked in a difficult to identify accent as they all sit.

"First of all, I need to apologize," Mindy starts, reaching across the table to grab her hand, but the woman pulls it away and grimaces. 

"Apologize, fine, but no touching, this is not strip club."

"You're telling me," Peter mutters. 

"I'm sorry, and I'm sorry for the other night. We came here and I was, um, intoxicated, and I said some rude things to you and I just want you to know I am so, so sorry and please, please lift the curse. I believe in you completely now!" Mindy clasps her hands beseechingly and smiles widely. 

Rita looks unimpressed. 

"Curse? I cursed you, you say? Well you must have deserved it. I'm not sure that I can help..."

"She told you, she has cash." Peter slaps his palm on the table. "Just take her money and fix her mess of a life so I can get home in time to rub one out to the 11:00 news."

"You are gross, sir. As for you, my friend, do you truly feel you have learned your lesson, and you will treat others with respect and kindness?"

"Yes!" Mindy shouts. "I swear, it was Peter's fault. You can see how vile he is, and I let his influence lead me astray!" 

"Just throw me under the bus, why don't you?"

"Shhhh!" Both women turn and hush him at once. 

"Fine, I will lift the curse...for a price." Rita grins and folds her arms across her chest. 

"Anything, name it! I can't live like this." Mindy begins to dig in her purse. 

"Five hundred dollars." The hand extended across the table has many rings and long, pointy red fingernails. 

"Five hun... I didn't bring that much! I could only get three hundred from the ATM, and I had to pay for the cabs... Peter, do you have cash?"

He flips through his wallet, pulling out a foil square and winking, but comes up empty. 

"Sorry. That place that WAS a strip club cleaned me out."

Mindy looks desperately through the pockets in her bag. "Please, please, I have two hundred in cash, and I have these gift cards! Look, here's fifty dollars to Macy's, and this Starbucks one has like forty left, and I think there's another forty on this Visa. Please, is that enough?"

The fortune teller looks at Mindy appraisingly. "Fine. And the earrings."

"What? Oh, no, I love these... okay. I can replace them, but I can't replace Danny. He's my soulmate."

She hands the loot over to the woman, who counts the bills and pockets them before waving her hands vaguely and declaring the curse to be lifted. Mindy shrieks in glee, jumping up to hug Peter who unceremoniously grabs a handful of ass before she pushes him off. 

"Oh god, this is fantastic. I need to call Danny and lie to him now!"

As the walk to the door, Peter lets Mindy go ahead of him and stalls. "I'll be right there, Min. Figure out where we can get a cab that takes checks or something." 

When she's stepped out, Rita hurries to get Peter to join her, but he doesn't move. 

"Hang on. Real quick, before I go - you know I know this is all bullshit, right?"

"What do you mean!?" The redhead furrows her brow. "I am obviously a powerful woman, you should not mess with me!"

"I'd mess with ya, little bit, sure. But seriously, you aren't a fortune teller, or even a very good fake. You didn't recognize Mindy and you have no idea what you 'cursed' her with the other night, so how did you manage to lift it?"

"I did...you don't...I will curse you, too!"

"Okay, lemme have the same one you gave her. That will show me, not being able to eat spicy foods without terrible heartburn. You're psychic, so you know I loooove me some jalapeños." Peter grins. 

"Fine, you are cursed too, and you will have fire at both ends!" Rita waves her hands vaguely again. 

"That was too easy, babe. I just made up that curse. Were you drunk that night too or what?"

She pouts. "Probably. So, what do you want?" 

"Huh, that accent sounds a little less vaguely Eastern European and a little more Long Island now."

"Whatever, why bother?"

Peter shakes his head. "Noice. So listen, if you don't want me to go to the cops and get you on extortion charges, you need to give me back Mindy's money. And the earrings. Or, you can go on a date with me. It's your call."

Mindy is beaming when he meets her outside. 

"Peter, Peter, I'm free! I called Danny and told him I was picking you up from the police station because you were a suspect in a public indecency case. He believed every word! Oh god, it feels so good to lie to him."

"Yeah, that's gonna be a really healthy relationship now. Good going. Listen, I talked to her and she started to feel bad about asking for so much, so she wanted me to give you these." He drops the earrings in her hand and smiles. "Now, how are we getting to the airport?"

"Duh, Peter, the curse didn't apply to her either. I still have a hundo in cash. Anyway, let's get our asses out of here because I have some serious sex to have!" She winks at Peter and he winks back, fingering the bills in his pocket. 

"You and me both, sister. That reminds me, I gotta thank Danny for giving me Vanessa's number." 

Mindy looks at him in confusion. "Vanessa? Who's that?"

"Oh, an old friend of his. Why don't you ask him?" Peter guides her to the street to hail a cab, muttering under his breath. "Test out that whole honesty thing."

\---

She finds Danny in the call room, his plush lashes resting on his cheeks, and she almost doesn't want to wake him, it's such a beautiful sight. But ultimately her need to talk to him without fear of saying something better left in her thoughts wins out. Mindy climbs into the tiny bed next to him, and without even opening his eyes, Danny wraps his arms around her and pulls her just slightly on top of him. 

"So hey, everything okay with Peter?"

"Yeah, but Danny, I... I made that all up. I was in Atlantic City finding that psychic lady."

He chuckles into her hair. "Please tell me you didn't go giving her money."

"I had to, Danny! But it's done now, she lifted the curse."

"Okay, so what does that mean?" He strokes a few strands out of her eyes, which are luminous in the dim light, and his voice is quieter than it needs to be in the empty room. "You're gonna lie to me now?" 

"No, no. I mean yeah, probably, but not on purpose, mostly. It's not really a lie if I just...leave things out, right? Because come on, nobody tells everyone everything they're thinking. I don't want you knowing if I ate ice cream for dinner and I don't want to know if you're eating enough fiber. Some things just need to stay private." She pats him on the arm reassuringly, and somehow it turns into a caress, because he's too damn sexy and, well, she can do that now. 

Danny grins. "Well, seriously though, bowel health is often ignored, and..."

Mindy covers his mouth with her hand. "No, no, stop, that is not sexy. This...us...this is new and exciting and we need to keep it that way for a while, okay? There's plenty of time for you to gross me out later."

Danny pulls her hands off and kisses her palms. "You're right, you're right. Just as long as we make sure the important stuff is on the table. Like how much I like kissing you here..." He buries his nose in her neck and presses his lips to her pulse point. "And how good you look in that blue skirt, the short one..."

She laughs throatily, threading her legs between his. "Okay, keep it coming." 

He's slipped one hand up her shirt when she remembers. 

"Oh, Danny, I was talking to Peter and he said you hooked him up with an old friend or something? Who's Vanessa?"

Danny freezes for a moment before kissing her fiercely, and with his tongue in her mouth, she thinks maybe talking is overrated anyway.


End file.
